Tag Archives: Travel

Testing Out Airbnb. . . A step-by-step analysis updated live

4 Aug

UPDATED!!!

CHECK OUT THE RESULTS ON THE FOLLOWING POST HERE: Testing Out AirBnB. . . the Results!

 

Seoul, Korea. . . Here I come!

Yes, I am returning to this country of my heart in June, where I get the opportunity to stay for almost 3 weeks.  I will be studying in Kyoto and Tianjin, but I get a little time in between.  After scouring the airline prices, it is definitely cheaper to fly to Korea and hang out there in cheap housing rather than fly back and forth to the US.  Plus, I’m dying to go back!

However, since I am a very cheap student (did I mention I was cheap, as in uber, uber cheap?) I am looking for someplace to stay in Korea for the duration.  Last semester I stayed in Chungmuro, but that hotel is way too expensive to stay in without school loans helping to cover the cost.  On the other hand, I liked being in that area of Seoul, so I think I’ll try finding something in the nearby vicinity of that dip in the Han River.   Continue reading →

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I’m Back!

27 Jul

Have I got stories for you! China is just a fabulous place to visit!! I had such an amazing time visiting with and learning from these amazing people. Their kindness to my group was immeasurable; I cannot even being to tell how wonderful everything was.  And this next couple weeks I’ll start updating with pics, stories, and reviews.  But to give you a little taste; here are some of the cool things I saw and did!

When you see pics of the Great Wall that show people smiling on a flat terrain; they lie. It was death by a thousand stairs dead upmountain. My ghost is writing this.
Visited a Jade Factory!
The Mountains of China–Beautiful
Temple of Heavenly Peace
Tienanmen Square
Imperial Palace where emperors reigned!
One of 2 summer palaces–the empress’ vacation home
Rode the Dragon Boats!
Ancient Culture Street
Pandas!!!!!

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Leaving to Come Home

15 Jun

Home

I’ve never been to an unfamiliar place. It’s true. In spite of all my travels and the many changes that I ran into along the way, I always feel right at home when visiting new lands.  Admittedly, I’ve never been to the heart of wild Africa. Or the jungles of South America. Really, I’ve only been to pretty advanced locations. But still, when asking me about a foreign country, people always seem surprised when I say it was easy to adapt to.

They point to the difference in religion, food, and styles of clothing. And then comes the big sentence: “But the language is different!” they respond as though this summarizes everything.  And to them, it does. That little change in means of speaking  makes foreign countries seem like planets in a far away galaxy. Something exciting and exotic, but entirely unfamiliar. And to go there  is to enter the land of OZ, where roads are made of yellow and everything is new and (shudder) different.  

So I’ve taken to explaining it like this:

  • They use silverware for their food. 
  • They have a special love for fluffy pillows.
  • They heat their houses in the winter, and use fans/air conditioning in the summer.
  • They drink milk to please their mothers. Continue reading →

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Sayonara Japan!

12 Jun

Two days ago, I officially made my sad goodbyes to the wonderful people I met in Kyoto.  I had the opportunity to meet some amazing folks, both in the program (like my absolutely fabulous roommate) and on the streets of the city itself (like our totally sweet and awesome hair cutter/stylist at the Noel Salon on Shijo-dori near the corner of Shijo and Senbon–you should definitely check her out).  I got some amazing pictures and great adventures were had by all 🙂  Everything from washing our hair in Shampoo and then Body Wash because it looked like Conditioner (stupid look alike bottles) to finding a restaurant that offered Beef Tongue and Grilled Horse meat (true story–it also served beef gristle; you know the stuff you cannot eat off your steak?!?).   We got lost so many times, but every time met someone or ran into some awesome landmark that made up for it.  We found new favorite restaurants (Anri in Porta at Kyoto Station is DELICIOUS!), favorite hang-outs (loved wandering around the riverside at Arashiyama), and new best friends.  

To Japan: I Salute You For A Wonderful Time!

View of Kyoto from Kyoto Tower
I rode the JR Line to many locations, everything from temples to shopping 🙂 Good old reliable Japanese train lines!
The Tokufuji Temple view. I’ll miss the gorgeous landscapes!
Kyoto Tower–you can always find your way by this giant landmark
Water Lilies/Lotus flowers blooming this time of year are stunning in Kyoto ponds
Kiyomizu-dera Temple–definitely a must see!
The many, many, many taxis lined up at Kyoto Station to whisk people away to happy vacations!
Chishaku-in Gardens –> A lovely place to rest and relax, so many of these calm places in Japan to rest your spirits.
The artwork in Japan is stunning, especially the ancient paintings.
Temple Gardens in Kyoto are some of the prettiest I’ve seen
Sanjo Street where I lived. You were good to me!
Fushimi Inari. Long-assed hike up the mountain, but a beautiful vista along the way. Lined with the famous Torri statues.
The Golden Pavilion, incredibly famous spot in Kyoto, and well worth the visit.
Who can forget the yummy, but beautiful food. Truly a work of art here in Japan!
These Torri statues are found by the thousands at Fushimi Inari, but they area also the gateways to many temples and shrines in the area. There’s one on nearly every street and they range in all sizes.

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Chishaku-In and Sanjusangendo

7 Jun Chishaku-In

Chishaku-In and Sanjusangendo:

Kyoto’s Most Famous Garden and Temple

It’s funny, but when they told me I would be visiting Kyoto’s most famous gardens; somehow my brain was picturing a type of botanical garden such as you would see in the U.S.  You know, open rows upon rows of flowers, all arranged carefully around small stone water fountains.  Suffice to say, I had it more or less completely wrong (kind of like when they said I was going to a monkey zoo and instead took me hiking to the top of a mountain to see them in their natural habitat mid-forest).

The Chishaku-In garden is actually rather small and compact, but what there is of it is stunning.  Carefully interwoven around some lovely temple buildings and tucked up against one of the many mountains in the area, the gardens consist of small Continue reading →

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10 Things I Will Miss About Japan (and 1 Thing I Won’t)

25 May

Page 2

6. Vending Machines

Vending Machine

Cigarette Vending Machine

Holy cow, there is just no way to describe all of the things you can get in vending machines here in Japan. Continue reading →

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Getting a Chinese Tourism Visa (for US Natural Citizens)

14 May

Passport

US Passport

For someone who wants to work in China after graduation, I have to admit, I’m none to desperate to run through the whole getting a Visa thing again any time soon.  I mean, oh my word, that was a total disaster from start to finish.  Since the process outlined on their website is a heck of a confusing mess, I failed to realize that it would end up taking me weeks to get my Passport and Visa back. I literally only got it the day before my flight; and that was after calling my senator who called higher-ups who called higher-ups to track it down and then stopping the postal services to grab ahold of it. What a mess! In the hopes of helping clarify the process for some other poor soul Continue reading →

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Off I go!

8 May

Hooray!

I officially leave Iowa City for the Chicago airport sometime tomorrow.  My mom is driving me up there (no point in leaving a car there for 3 months) and then coming back.  Since the drive is so far, we’ve decided to stay in a hotel overnight since I have to be at the airport at 3:30 a.m. on Friday.  I have to say this whole thing has been horrible (Chinese Embassy lost my passport, resulting in three six-hour trips up to Chicago in a week during final exams, etc.) but I am so happy it is finally getting underway.  I did learn a lot during the process, so I’ll upload some of the tips in the next few days.  Wish me luck!  I’ll start posting again here in the next week or so as I arrive in Japan.  Praying everything works out perfectly!

Tata!

 

 

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Traveler’s Lodestone

13 Apr

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Hello one and all! I am proud to announce that I have officially co-authored a series of three books.

We drew on the idea that people frequently working with different foreign languages (whether talking to ESL speakers at home or when traveling abroad) need some kind of universal guide.

Since I work with a lot of people who don’t necessary speak English (or at least not terribly well), I have frequently found myself needing a quick translator. While I’ve spent time studying Spanish, Arabic, etc., I’m not fluent in every language that’s out there.  And no one else is either.  So these books are meant to carry you through those times.  The times when you are headed to France (where you can know the language), but you have to buy batteries in Germany on the way.  Or where you meet up with that nice Vietnamese mother at the office and you want to ask her for her phone number.  Or where you know some basic elements of the language, but it isn’t enough to spend an entire summer living there on.

Since you don’t have the words available, these books allow you to use the power of the picture! If you need the train station, just go to the picture and point to the train. Or, if your son is allergic to pork, but they are offering you Hotdogs, go to that section of th,e book.  Perhaps you need a car seat for your baby in that rental car?–go to the picture.

So as to keep the book manageable, we ended up splitting it into 3 sections.  Volume 1: Go, See, Do covers the things you need to get you where you want to go: Travel Documentation, Means of Transportation, Hotel words, Restaurant words, Bathroom words, etc.  Volume 2: Needs Must covers the things you will have to have for critical information: Emergency terms (hospital, police station, blood), General Commonalities (colors, weather, numbers), Medical Information, People (baby, student, etc.).  Volume 3: Finishing Touches offers the things that you need to make your trip perfect: Recreation, Shopping (grocery, jewelry, clothing, office store), etc.

You can find out more on the book’s Facebook page here. Please pass it on! We’d really appreciate the encouragement!

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48 Hours in Seoul: Day 2

24 Feb

48 Hours in Seoul: Day 2

An Itinerary for Getting the Most From A Too Brief Trip

See the introduction here.

See Day 1 here.

Note that all directions & prices were true as of mid-late 2012; I haven’t check back since then. I’m headed back this summer, so I’ll look and see then if I can. 🙂

Itinerary Summary–Day 2

  1. 8:00 a.m.-9:30 a.m. *** Breakfast at Myeongdong 
  2. 10:00 a.m. -11:30 p.m. *** Namsan Tower and the Cable Car
  3. 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. *** Lunch in Coex Mall
  4. 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. *** Shop and visit the Aquarium in Coex Mall 
  5. 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.***  Korean National Museum
  6. 5:30 p.m.- Whenever you leave *** Shop and enjoy Dondaemeun 

I tried to leave enough time for travel between each stop, but this means you may have a little more or less time depending on how long it takes you to move from one place to another.

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Breakfast/Shopping: Myeongdong

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Why?

Most touristy places in the city aren’t going to open up this early, so this is a good time to wander around and grab some  breakfast if you’re an early riser.  Myeongdong actually opens up pretty early because it caters to tourist shoppers; in fact you may hear people calling out in Japanese, since most of the tourist come from Japan.   Myeongdong is traditionally considered a shopping central for all fashionistas.  It’s got purses, clothes, glasses, beauty supplies, shoe stores, beauty parlors, etc.  Honestly, I preferred some other places more for actual bargain shopping (note that this is where the upper crusts shop as well; we’re talking Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana stores) , but it is an awesome place to grab coffee of a morning.  They have plenty of pastry/coffee shops like Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, etc.  Plus, the stalls are fun to wander if they’re up before you leave, and you can sometimes walk away with a handful of free stuff from the hawkers. If you’re low on funds, maybe save your shopping $$ for later though. Continue reading →

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